1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to seagoing vehicles, and more particularly to means for controlling their attitude in the water.
2. Description of the Prior art
Previously, attitude control, especially with respect to submersible vehicles, was accomplished by systems involving the pumping of liquid mercury from one container to another; ballast tanks taking on sea water as ballast and injecting compressed air into the tanks to force out and displace the appropriate amount of such sea water; and the shifting of solid weights by complex mechanical means.
The prior techniques has disadvantages in that mercury is a lethal material and its use on the open seas poses a serious ecological hazard. Water ballast systems are complex, are not precise, and take up a considerable amount of inboard space. Shifting weight systems tend to be complex. When installed aboard the vehicle, such systems take up a significant amount of the limited available space, whereas externally mounted systems present maintenance problems and are susceptible to damage.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing an ecologically safe, compact, and structurally simple attitude control system for a seagoing vehicle.